Stress Release
by Kriiz
Summary: Snake and Otacon are having trouble getting along in their tiny apartment. A night of binge drinking results in a nightmarish act that will be hard to erase from anyone's memory. Rated for graphic violence and sexual content. Slash. Finished...?
1. Chapter 1

God, I was so bored and horny today. So I wrote this. There is more written, I just haven't gotten around to editing it all yet, but I thought I'd post this before turning in tonight. I have never attempted any MGS fanfiction yet, but I feel like I've read enough of it to want to put my own spin on things.

Of course, the characters don't belong to me, and I don't profit from the story, yadda yadda. This story contains graphic violence, sexual content, and abuse. But you know me; deep down inside, I do like happy endings, so stick around for a second part or so.

---

Otacon sat with his fingers idly brushing the keys on his laptop. His eyes were on the digital clock, watching tiredly as 2:59 am turned to 3:00. He sighed, pushing the computer out of his lap and onto the coffee table, and slumped backward into the couch. His face was etched with worry. Snake still wasn't home yet.

Living with someone is always stressful, and when you add to that the fact that you and your roommate have a price on your heads, things can only get worse. Snake and Otacon had moved to this area a few months ago and they lived in secrecy for fear of being discovered by the Patriots. They were cooped up in their apartment twenty-four hours a day, although one of them would periodically leave to get groceries. Otherwise, they obsessed over finding the newest model of Metal Gear in development. Their information was concrete but scarce, the details confirming that the new REX model was in this area, but exactly where they had no idea.

Their temporary apartment was small and it seemed that the two were constantly stepping on each other's toes. Despite the fact that they were very close, much closer than mere friends, they were not above arguing over silly things. Lately, it seemed that when Snake was itching for attention, Otacon was enveloped in his work; by the time Otacon was ready for some play, Snake was either in the middle of exercise or fast asleep. If one or the other would make advances while his partner was busy, he would be met all too often with a flare of misplaced anger. Both of them were stressed out and were having a hard time dealing with it in this tiny apartment.

Earlier, when Snake had come up behind Otacon during his work and started to massage the smaller man's weary shoulders, the hacker had been on the verge of breaking into a heavily guarded database. Otacon became silently irritated, but he was too wrapped up in his work to even speak at that point. Snake leaned down very slowly, allowing his partner time to protest before he began hungrily kissing at his neck. Otacon's concentration broke immediately. His finger slipped and he hit the wrong key at just the right moment. His entire program quickly shut down on him.

He stared, agape, as three hours of work flashed away. Snake's assault on his neck was relentless.

"Dave, stop! What are you doing!?" Snake jumped back, surprised to hear the anger in his quiet lover's voice. He didn't get the chance to speak before Otacon continued, "Damn it, you have such a one-track mind! Now I've lost all that progress and I have to repeat three hours worth of work!"

"I'm sorry, Hal," Snake spoke, but his words feel on deaf ears. Otacon pushed his chair back and got up quickly, storming off into the kitchen. He pulled off his glasses, rubbing his eyes as he heaved a weary sigh. Snake stood still, watching him quietly for a moment, and for the millionth time that day he felt so useless.

Snake was a man of action. He was adept at planning sneaking missions, at carrying out impossible objectives, but he and Otacon were stuck in a rut at this point. Until they had a more exact location to work with, he had little more to do other than loaf around, read a bit, and stare at Otacon with wild hunger. The two had been lovers for some time now and this wasn't the first time Snake had been denied in favor of work. He had never seen Hal so annoyed, though. As he stood there contemplating his angry partner, his temper got the best of him.

Otacon emerged from the kitchen with a glass of juice, heading back toward his laptop, but he stopped as he saw Snake stride past.

"Dave?"

Snake had changed into jeans, a dark tight-fitting t-shirt, and a black jacket. He went straight for the door. Otacon glanced at the clock. It was already 9:30 pm.

"Dave, wait, where are you going?"

Snake opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, turning back toward Otacon to give him a smoldering glance. "Out," he growled, before pulling the door shut behind him.

At first, Otacon had been thankful that Snake had left. Maybe now he could get some work done. But as the hours wore on, as 3:00 am became 3:20, Otacon let worry take over. The Patriots were certainly hot on their tails, watching very closely for any suspicious activity. What if Snake had been spotted? What if he had been attacked? He knew that Snake could take care of himself, but the nagging "what ifs" had kept him up this late. As his pessimistic thoughts eroded his wakefulness, Otacon felt himself sinking deeper into the couch. His eyelids were so heavy, and it was so dark in here, so quiet. He closed his eyes – only for a second, he told himself – and tried to relax. _Dave will be home soon_, he told himself, _and when he gets here I can apologize…_

---

Otacon woke with a start. He bolted upright on the couch, gasping slightly in shock. It was so dark in the apartment that he couldn't see his hands in front of his face. He groped around for his laptop and woke it from sleep mode. The screen was bright and he squinted for an instant, struggling to adjust.

The digital clock read 4:30 am. He had fallen asleep for a bit, apparently.

Otacon sighed, leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. He was exhausted; his body ached for the comfort of his bed. Begrudgingly he stood, stretching out for a moment, but as he reached down to close his laptop a funny feeling, a tingling in his spine made him freeze. He suddenly became aware of another presence in the apartment.

Otacon was not alone.

An instant after he realized this, he was grabbed from behind. One arm was around his neck, another pinning his left arm to his waist. He cried out and struggled for an instant before he felt a brush of rough stubble against his cheek, recognized the contours of the muscular torso behind him. He relaxed slightly, his tone taking on a hint of annoyance as he realized that his panic was in vain.

"Hey, Snake, what's the big idea? You almost scared me to death!"

As he spoke, though, the arm at his neck tensed slightly. He held his breath for an instant as Snake leaned in closer to his face. He could almost taste the alcohol on Snake's breath. The laptop screen gave off very little blue light, but it shone on Snake's face just enough for Otacon to realize that this was not his friend Dave. Something had changed inside, had surfaced during the last several hours at the bar. He recognized the look in those angry eyes. When Otacon had first found Snake after the Shadow Moses incident, he had been in a sad state, trapped in a world of alcohol and depression. Since the two had begun working together, Snake had done his best to not drink. But tonight, he had been so angry that he couldn't help himself.

He snarled slightly down at Otacon, releasing his grip to allow the smaller man to speak. "Where is he?" the soldier growled.

Otacon swallowed hard. This wasn't Dave. This wasn't their apartment, either, at least not now. For a moment, Dave had gone back to Shadow Moses. For a moment, he once again became Solid Snake.

"Snake, stop this," Hal whispered, but in response he was throttled again, pulled so tightly against Snake's body that he feared he might be crushed. Snake jarred him slightly, adding to his panic by shaking him roughly around.

"Where is he!?" Snake roared, releasing Otacon's throat again, just enough so that he could speak.

The scientist coughed and gasped for air, struggling slightly as he began to panic. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he cried, his voice just about pleading. "Snake, let me go!"

The irate soldier mumbled something unintelligible as he began to move, awkwardly dragging Otacon along with him. He stumbled slightly, drunk as he was, as they moved into the kitchen. He thrust Otacon against the cabinets and slammed his head down onto the counter. Otacon's glasses fell to the floor as his face was smushed into the countertop. Snake leaned in so that their faces were inches apart, their bodies pressed together tightly, and Otacon realized with some alarm that Snake's erection was pressing against his back.

"Last chance," Snake hissed, an ugly snarl on his face. His words were drawn out, deliberate and enunciated. "Where is Liquid Snake?"

Otacon was weakly struggling, trying to get out from under Snake's grip. "Snake, he's dead! Please, let me go!"

Snake pressed heavily down on top of Otacon, his hot breath in the hacker's ear, his hips pressed firmly against Otacon's ass. For a moment, he paused as he realized how nice this felt to his throbbing erection. Instinctively his hips began to thrust, to rub his body against the smaller man's rear, creating irresistible friction between them. In his drunken state, Snake's mind was operating on completely selfish thoughts. Before Otacon could protest, he felt Snake's rough hands on his bare skin, pulling his shirt up over his head and hurriedly unbuckling his pants.

Otacon pushed upward, suddenly finding some strength as fear washed over him, but Snake was much stronger, much faster than him. He took Otacon's wrists and pinned his hands against the countertop, but the smaller man locked his elbows. Snake leaned heavily on his back, one hand straying from his victim and into his back pocket. His lips were so close to Otacon's ear that they brushed the sensitive skin as he threateningly whispered.

"If you make a sound or even move, I'll kill you."

A flash of silver caught Otacon's eye and he realized with some panic that Snake had pulled a knife out of his pocket. He rested that hand right next to Otacon's on the counter, letting the weapon be an ominous reminder of Snake's dominance in this situation. Otacon swallowed hard, realizing that Snake was much more volatile and unpredictable than he had originally thought. The hacker stood stalk still as he heard Snake unbuckling his pants with his free hand.

The feeling of Snake's hot erection against his cool skin made him tense, and he bit his lip to avoid moaning. If he wasn't so terrified he might enjoy this, too. But he was soon reminded that this wasn't his gentle Dave, his doting and patient lover. This was a trained killer, looming over him with dark intentions. Snake pushed against Otacon's entrance, unlubricated and insistent, and Otacon tilted his head back, emitting a soft whining sound. Snake's free hand was around his throat in a second, holding firmly without choking, just enough to be threatening. Snake released his knife and hastily spit into his hand a few times, working his own saliva over the head of his erection. He kicked Otacon's ankles, forcing his legs farther apart, giving him more room for entry. Once more he pushed against his victim's tight body, finally forcing his way in.

Otacon struggled to relax his body, to make this unwelcome act somewhat more comfortable, but it was useless. He felt as though he might split in half. As he opened his mouth to cry out, Snake tightened the hand around his neck in warning, and Otacon's voice died in his throat. Snake pushed in slowly at first, gliding in easily at the beginning, but he hadn't lubricated his entire length. When entry became more difficult he became impatient and forcibly jammed his entire length inside of his victim, who finally cried out in desperation.

Otacon's arms gave out and he collapsed onto the countertop, gasping in shock. Snake laid his torso down on top of Otacon's back, his face just next to the scientist's. Hungrily he began kissing and biting at his neck, not with the usual playful aggression of a passionate lover but with the wanton hunger of an animal. He did not start the act slowly but instead began humping Otacon dry, paying no mind to the strangled cries that would occasionally escape the smaller man's throat. Snake no longer seemed to care whether his victim let out whimpers or not. His concentration was on his erection, which was pounding mercilessly in and out of Otacon's tight body.

Otacon was trapped. He could not fight back. He could not reason with Snake; Otacon realized that he wasn't in his right mind. The man was not just violating him but _hurting_ him. The Snake he knew would never do that. Otacon gritted his teeth and braced himself against the counter as he felt something warm trickling down between his thighs. Judging by the pain he felt with every rough thrust, he knew that it must be blood. Snake was driving Otacon's slender hips into the edge of the countertop and Snake's teeth and tongue greedily molested his neck. Otacon shivered as he wondered if his attacker might break the skin.

Snake lifted his head, propping himself up slightly, and Otacon could tell from the tone of his grunting that he was near the end. His pack quickened, his thrusts became rough and erratic, and Otacon freely cried out now, hoping that the volume of his own voice might drown out the pain. Snake thrust in deep, held it there for a moment, and then pulled himself all the way out. Otacon felt his warm seed spill out over his lower back, over his ass, and he silently thanked God that it was over. Snake stood over him for a moment, staring down at him in a drunken stupor, but Otacon remained still. He was playing "dead."

As Snake turned and stumbled off toward their bedroom, Otacon slowly sank to the floor. Everything ached, especially his heart, and he sat crumpled there for several minutes, trying to digest everything that had just happened. He heard Snake's body fall onto the mattress and, moments later, his rumbling snoring.

Otacon leaned his weary head against the cabinets and closed his eyes. Minutes later, he too was asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

And the words just keep coming.

I felt like the first chapter was so unresolved, so I had to put up the second chapter relatively quickly. It was difficult to write, because you mostly think about writing about the sex, y'know? Not so much about what goes on afterward. And especially in a tricky situation like this… Well, it was difficult to wrap my brain around. This chapter isn't resolved, either, so maybe the third chapter will come just as quickly…

Thanks to my readers and especially my reviewers. Glad to know that someone is appreciating the story enough to tell me about it. Not too much sex in this chapter, but there is a bit of language.

---

Snake rolled over with a growl, pulling a pillow over his face. The sun was shining directly in through the window, spilling light across the entire mattress and making it impossible for him to continue sleeping. He uselessly tossed and turned for a few moments, grunting and groaning in frustration, before finally sitting up. Wincing, he cradled his head in his hands. It felt like someone had been beating him over the head with a tire iron last night. He needed some sort of painkiller.

As he stood, the sheets fell away and Snake was surprised to realize that he had fallen asleep in the nude last night. He grinned, wondering if he had any fun while in a drunken stupor, and he fished around on the floor for his discarded boxers, pulling them up gingerly. Still holding his head and grumbling in pain, he stumbled out of the bedroom and toward the bathroom.

From outside the bathroom door, he could hear that the shower was running. He knew that Otacon wouldn't mind if he popped in just for a second, just to grab some medicine. The lock on the bathroom door never worked, anyway. He turned the knob and slipped in, expecting to hear Hal's cheerful "good morning" as he did, but no voice came from the shower. Snake ignored the silence at first and went to take some aspirin from the cabinet, but as he backed toward the door he regarded the shower curtain curiously. He wanted Hal to say something, anything. He hadn't heard him speak since their little fight yesterday.

"Hal?" he asked, his voice gentle and low. The smaller man did not react. In fact, he seemed to not be moving, just facing the stream of water, slouching. Snake moved forward, reaching out toward the shower curtain. "Hal, good morning. Are you all right?"

Snake slowly took hold of the curtain and pulled it back, but Otacon yelped as he did so. He turned to grab the curtain and pull it closed, but not before giving Snake a view of his bruised face. Snake was appalled. He pulled on the curtain again, more insistently this time, and reached forward to grab his struggling friend by the arm.

"Hal, what the- …Oh my God…"

Otacon kept his face turned away, his eyes averted shamefully, but his body told the story that he was unwilling to vocalize. The right side of his face was bruised and somewhat swollen, but that was nothing compared to his left shoulder and the side of his neck. The skin was blue and purple, marked with teeth and fingers, although the skin wasn't broken. Below that, his pale hips bore vivid red stripes from where they had been driven into the countertop. He closed his eyes tightly, unwilling to look at the horrified expression on his friend's face.

Snake was unable to control his volume as he nearly shouted, "Hal, what happened!?"

Otacon misinterpreted his friend's anger and he roughly pulled his arm away, glaring up at the taller man. He clenched his jaw, doing his best to look menacing despite the vulnerability in his eyes. He struggled to keep his voice even, maintaining a thin veil of composure. "I w-was attacked," he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"By who?" Snake growled, anger flashing in his eyes. He lifted hands to touch Otacon again, to examine him more closely, but the smaller man pulled away from him, shying from his touch. Snake was livid, his temper beginning to boil. "Who did this to you!?"

Otacon looked at him in disbelief for several seconds. Snake looked like he was ready to tear the throat out of whoever laid a finger on his dear friend, his lover. The longer the silence between them stretched on, the more agitated he became, gritting his teeth and shaking his head slightly as he eyed up the damage done to Otacon's body, memorizing the bruises and cuts, vowing to inflict them upon whoever did this to him.

Snake squared his shoulders and began to uneasily shift from foot to foot, his hands in fists at his sides. "Hall, I swear, I will kill whoever did this to you. Just say the word."

Otacon's mouth was dry. He looked at Snake helplessly, his lips opening and closing as he struggled to start one sentence but stopped, contemplating another. Should he tell Snake the truth? He knew that Snake didn't mean to hurt him. Snake suffered from so many internal scars, so many emotional wounds that he never spoke about, many of which Otacon felt were partially Metal Gear's fault. He did not want this to add to Snake's private self-loathing. But although he and Snake were lovers, he had handled Otacon so roughly last night, violated him in such a degrading manner. But he didn't do it consciously; that was another man, buried somewhere deep inside, kept in check by Snake's common sense and conscience…

As his internal debate heated up, Otacon's turmoil boiled over uncontrollably. He was certainly the more emotional of the pair. He withdrew slightly, bringing his arms around himself to hide himself, shamefully. His face twisted into a pained expression as the tears started, but before he could make a sound he was caught up in Snake's arms. The soldier had stepped into the shower with him and now stood with his back against the stream of warm water. He held Otacon firmly, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as the smaller man quietly cried against him. He heaved a heavy sigh, bottling up his rage for the moment. For now, there were more important emotions to attend to, no matter how alien they were to Snake.

They stood together in that shower for what seemed like days to Snake, wasting time as Otacon's attacker went free, possibly harming someone else, possibly planning his next attack. But Otacon's misery kept Snake grounded. He felt the tremors in his lover's body as though they were his own. He lowered his head and stroked through Otacon's soaked hair, the curls sliding through his fingers easily. He felt that there were no lumps on Otacon's head; he hadn't been taken by surprise, struck unconscious from behind. Gently, he coaxed the smaller man to lift his head. The bruise on his face was around his right eye but centered more down on the cheekbone. He had been slammed roughly against a flat surface; a fist would have sunken in toward his eye socket. Snake tilted his head to the other side, where he carefully examined the bruises on his neck. He realized with some disgust that the majority of the bruising was surrounded by teeth marks. They were hickeys. Around the front of his neck were finger marks and tiny scratches where he had apparently been choked. Snake's temper was beginning to get the best of him as he began to put the pieces together. He reached down to Otacon's hips to try and get a look at the bruises there, but as he did the smaller man shyly pulled away, turning and hiding himself in his hands.

"Dave, please," Otacon whispered. "Can we talk about this when I'm done?"

Snake didn't say a word, instead looked his friend over for another moment before slipping out of the shower, roughly drawing the curtains behind himself. He left the bathroom without another word and stomped into the living room, closing the door behind him. Quickly he began to pace around the coffee table in the center of the room, his arms twitching as his anger returned. Who could have done something like that? Who would want to hurt his gentle Hal? Did someone force their way into the apartment, or did Otacon leave to search for Snake and get mugged in an alley? The thought they he was indirectly the cause for Otacon's attack set a sharp spike of pain in his chest. He walked toward the kitchen, slamming his fist into the doorframe as he went past, putting another knuckle-sized dent in the wood.

He ripped open the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of juice, opening the cap and drinking right from the jug, despite the number of times Otacon had warned him not to. He leaned back against the counter and rested his free hand against it, but something sharp against his palm made him jump for a moment.

Snake was shocked to find his knife on the counter. Certainly he had taken it with him last night, just incase an unfortunate situation came up. When he returned home – at God knows what time – he must have taken it out of his pocket and left it in here. But why? Snake always kept careful track of things like these, just incase there was an intruder in the apartment. He didn't want to be caught without a weapon. Puzzled, Snake shrugged it off and closed the blade, tucking the knife into the waistband of his boxers. He shifted slightly, moving back toward the refrigerator but as he did, his foot bumped something on the floor. He looked down and stopped in mid-drink as he did.

Otacon's glasses were laying there at his feet, half hidden beneath the lip on the underside of the cabinets. But what shocked Snake were the vivid red droplets of blood spattered on the white linoleum floor around his feet. There wasn't much of it, but it was unmistakable. This trained killer had worked long enough to realize that this had been the site of some brutal act of violence.

Snake began to feel sick, partially from his anger, partially from disgust, and partially from the nagging hangover he was struggling to ignore. He turned and faced the counter, placing his jug in front of him and resting his hands against the cool surface. He hunkered down slightly and leaned in, breathing heavily as dizziness set in. He closed his eyes, swallowing hard to suppress the welling sickness within him, but as he did he heard familiar, far-away voices.

"_Where is he!?_"

"_I don't know what you're talking about!_"

_Solid Snake cursed beneath his breath, choking the soldier harder as he dragged him out of the hallway and into the nearest secluded room, a security control room. Inside, the bodies of the soldiers' dead comrades lay at their feet. Perhaps the grim decor would get him to talk more quickly. _

_Snake grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed his face hard against the nearest console, bending the soldier forward and holding him helpless beneath the spy. "Last chance," Snake growled, glaring down at the young soldier. All of this violence and roughness was having a familiar effect on him but he struggled to ignore his growing lust, pushing the unsettling thoughts from his mind. "Where is Liquid Snake?"_

_Whatever the soldier said next, Snake wasn't really listening. He could tell by the tone of the soldier's voice that he was not going to give up any useful information. Instead, the spy concentrated on his erection, straining uncomfortably against the confines of his sneaking suit. Meryl had gotten him all hot and bothered, and now he couldn't get the lustful thoughts out of his mind! Apparently, this was an adverse effect of living alone in the wilderness for so long. Thoughts of Meryl caused his blood to boil as he remembered that she was still being held captive by Liquid Snake, that sick fuck. Oh, what he was going to do to that blonde bastard when he finally caught up to him…_

_Snake felt his body involuntarily grinding against the backside of the captive soldier, who cried out in surprise. It took him a moment to realize what his instincts were telling him, but by that time his body had already made its decision. Snake quickly drew his knife and laid it against the soldier's throat as he began unbuckling his pants._

"_If you make a sound or even move, I'll kill you."_

Solid Snake had never been proud of what he had done while on missions. He terrorized people to get information out of them, he killed them, and there was nothing honorable or legendary about that. But he had done nothing in Outer Heaven or Zanzibar Land like what he did at Shadow Moses. The act had been despicable and frightening, and Snake had subconsciously blocked it out of his mind. From the moment he pulled off the soldier's belt to when he stood back, dumbfounded and dizzy, watching the man's blood pour out of the gaping wound in his neck, beholding that familiar shudder of death… it was all a white blur. Snake knew he had done something terrible, but all this time he averted his mind's eye when the memory played back to that crucial point.

But now, it all came crashing down upon him like a high wave in the Arctic Ocean. His memories were dark and burry but he could plainly see the struggling body beneath him, the blood trickling down the man's thin legs, and the fluttering eyes as his iron grip tightened mercilessly around his victim's throat.

Snake was a man who could usually hold his liquor so well, but this morning was the exception. He dove for the sink and hunched over the counter, white knuckles tightly gripping the sides of the basin as he emptied the contents of his stomach down the drain.

---

Otacon stood in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror, willing himself to open the door, but he couldn't. After Snake left him alone, he had put the wastebasket and his pile of clothes in front of the door, as though that would really keep the man out. Now he stood, lightly fingering the bruises on his face, leaning slightly on the sink and wondering what the hell he should do next.

After the way Snake behaved toward him this morning, Otacon was sure that he had no memory of what had happened the night before. It was almost like Snake had become someone completely different for those couple hours. Otacon had met that man before. The Solid Snake he had met at Shadow Moses had a constant temper and although he did his job with finesse, he was not as delicate in his interpersonal relationships. Not with Otacon, at least. Otacon had been grabbed, jarred, shaken, and pushed around more in those twenty-four hours than he had in sophomore year of high school.

Snake had acted similarly months later, when Otacon dropped in unannounced at his cabin in Alaska to see how he was doing. The two had gotten into an argument when Otacon openly criticized Snake for his drinking habits and his slovenly lifestyle, and the altercation eventually ended in a shoving match that Snake inarguably won. It wasn't until much later, as they got to know each other and when they discussed founding Philanthropy, that the two became flatmates. They moved around frequently, the location of new Metal Gears dictating their locale each time. After some time, friendship blossomed, deepened, and eventually evolved into unabashed love. During that period, Snake treated Otacon with progressive kindness, patience, and eventually affection. They learned how to treat each other well, how to get along, how to _not_ push each other's buttons – as they often did in the beginning, being such polar opposites – but most of all how to love each other. Since that time, Snake had treated Otacon with nothing but kindness and love, and Otacon treated him the same. Otacon found that Snake's – Dave's – hands were strong but gentle, his voice rough but soothing, and the same mouth that could speak such caustic and hateful language could be so silky and warm, could cause goose bumps to prickle his skin. Snake acted as the doting lover, ever patient with Otacon's lack of knowledge and experience, and Otacon was the willing virgin, eager to please and open to every suggestion.

There were times when Otacon would worry about his partner, though. He felt that whenever he woke up in the night, Snake was always already awake, one arm casually encircling the smaller man, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. On the few occasions that Snake did sleep, Otacon was often startled awake by him grumbling in his sleep, cursing about his brother, his body twitching every now and then. When Otacon tried to talk to Snake about these nightmares, the soldier would brush him away and change the subject, unwilling to pursue such talk. Otacon took it for granted that he was okay, but apparently he had been wrong. It would only make sense that Snake was suffering from post-traumatic stress, but he was such a strong man that Otacon had overlooked the obvious. He thought that Snake was above problems like that.

"And now look at me," Otacon whispered to himself, glaring at himself in the mirror. "I'm lucky this is all he did to me! He's my best friend; I have to talk to him." Otacon swallowed hard, reaching for the doorknob uncertainly, gently kicking his dirty clothes out of the way. "I have to tell him, I guess…"

As the door creaked open and he carefully stepped out, he caught sight of Snake slumped in the kitchen doorway. One hand against the doorframe steadied him, while with his other shaking hand he wiped his mouth. He was pale and looked quite ill, but as he lifted his eyes and caught sight of Otacon he straightened up. He walked brusquely across the living room, putting the entire length of the room between him and Otacon before turning around. He then began pacing like a caged animal, his hands clasped behind his head as he nervously sought somewhere to put them.

"What happened… Oh God, what happened… What did I do?...Oh God…"

"Snake, stop," Otacon spoke, his voice soft and soothing. "Please, it isn't your fault."

"I attacked you!" he shouted, his steps becoming faster, his eyes glancing at Otacon but never staying on him for long. He didn't want to see all the damage he had done. "I was drunk and I… I…"

"Snake… Dave, it's okay," Otacon spoke, lifting his hands in a gesture of peace. "Calm down, alright? Let's talk about this."

Snake wasn't hearing him, though. His face contorted as he struggled to express his anger, his pain, his remorse, and his frustration all at once. He turned toward Otacon and took a few steps forward, reaching out to him, but the smaller man instinctively shied away. Snake's face fell. He slumped down onto the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands as he emitted a groan of self-pity. Otacon was somewhat alarmed; he had never seen this side of Snake.

"Hal, what did I do to you?"

The scientist stood in silence for a few moments, wondering if that question was rhetorical. He walked to an armchair on the other side of the room and gently sat down in it, wincing slightly as he did so. "I think that it's more important to focus on you right now, Dave."

The soldier lifted his eyes, cold and unrelenting, his steely gaze letting Otacon know that he was not about to open up to the smaller man, at least not until he learned what unspeakable things he did. "Tell me what happened," he growled.

Otacon shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You left here around nine," he spoke, his voice just above a whisper. "I was worried about you and I tried to wait up, but I fell asleep at one point. I woke up at four and got up to go to bed, and you…"

Otacon stopped for a moment, collecting his thoughts. The silence stretched on for some time, and Snake related its length to the violence of the act he had committed.

"You weren't yourself," Otacon whispered, lifting his eyes. He was shaking slightly but doing his best to keep his emotions in check. "You didn't realize who I was, either. Do you even remember anything about last night?"

Snake sat back, heaving a heavy sigh as he tried to recall. "The last thing I remember is last call at the bar. Then I woke up in bed." His eyes turned back to Otacon, silently asking him to continue.

Otacon shifted again, wincing slightly as the bruises on his hips ached with the movement. He spoke his words carefully, thinking them over long before letting them be heard. "You were talking to me like I was an enemy. You were asking me where Liquid was. When I said I didn't know, you dragged me into the kitchen." He opened his mouth to continue but was cut off when Snake slammed his fists against the coffee table.

"I raped you," he whispered, closing his eyes tightly as the words cut his mouth.

"You weren't yourself," Otacon whispered.

"I attacked you!" Snake bellowed, his voice thunderous. Although he sounded angry, his eyes were soft and remorseful as he lifted them to look at Otacon. His voice teetered on the verge of a sob. "There is no excuse for that!"

The two sat and looked at each other for a long time, but neither of them made a move. It had taken just one night, one incident that had taken less than an hour, to completely change their relationship. If Snake had any tears left to cry, he knew he would be spilling them all now.

"Hal," he spoke, his voice soft and slightly wavering, "at Shadow Moses, I… did some things I still regret." Otacon sat back in his seat a bit, finally relaxing somewhat as Snake spoke. "I always prided myself on being a professional. I did my best to get in and out undetected. I had the sense to know when I absolutely _had_ to kill. But after Meryl was taken hostage, I started slipping up." He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes on the floor as he went on. "I was using too much force, getting too messy. I killed too many men. But there was one…"

Snake stopped for a moment, his shoulders shaking slightly as his self-loathing built up inside. His voice deepened as he choked back his emotions. "I don't know how it happened," he went on. "I remember dragging a guard into one of the rooms, pressing him for information. Then, it's all a white blur up until the point where I watched him die. It wasn't until this morning that I realized… what I had done to him."

Otacon hesitantly leaned forward, speaking to Snake as though he was trying to calm an injured animal. "Dave, you went through a lot at Shadow Moses. You were under so much pressure; you were taken advantage of so badly. Any normal person in your situation would have lost control, but you stayed strong and got the job done. You saved the world," he spoke with a smile, but he saw that the hackneyed statement no longer had any effect on this weary soldier. "You've come a long way since when I first found you in Alaska, but post-traumatic stress is difficult for most people to overcome."

Otacon bit his lip gently as he looked for some sort of reaction from his friend, but none came. Snake seemed catatonic. Otacon continued haltingly, being very careful with his language so as not to attract the ire of his friend.

"Whenever I try to talk with you about the things that are bothering you, you aren't very keen on opening up, and I certainly don't have the training to help you with that. I think there are definitely some things that you need to get out in the open, though. Dave, I… I think you should talk to someone."

Snake sighed, sinking back into the couch and pinching the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to relieve his headache. For once, he thought Otacon might be right.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow. Sorry this took so long, guys.

This chapter is broken into two parts, and I'd like to talk about the first. I work at the local mall in a historical part of my city. Every morning I go to work at 9:00, the asscrack of dawn as far as I'm concerned, and I walk past a train yard. I became fascinated, even obsessed with them. They're so loud but quiet, and the noise that a train makes as it rumbles by is almost soothing. While this story was swimming around in my head I knew I had to include this theme somehow. So the places mentioned in the first part of this chapter are real; they're actually in my hometown. If you recognize the couple places mentioned, then you must live here too!

It was the second half of the chapter that took forever. I wanted to make it as hot as possible without going to far, and I of course had to keep the strained relationship dynamic between Snake and Otacon in mind. So I got a little drunk tonight and finished it up. God I hope it doesn't sound like shit in the morning…

Read and review, people, read and review. Many thanks to the kind reviewers I have had so far at If I continue to get such a poor response from I might not continue to post my work there. Why should I put forth the effort of two uploads if you can't put forth the effort of feeding the author?

Please enjoy this chapter!

---

The early morning breeze felt cool on his fevered skin. Although his sneaking suit was infinitely useful and integral to his success on most missions, it was made of a rubbery, nonporous material that was sometimes difficult to move in. He especially hated that when he wore it only his face was bare. It made the pleasant weather hard to enjoy.

In an effort to distract himself, Snake lit up a cigarette. He inhaled deeply, savoring the taste, and as he exhaled he looked off toward the west. As if on cue, a far-away train whistle sounded from that direction. The train was running late this morning; already the sun lit the clouds in the east aflame with its orange light. Usually the train was past this point by this time. Snake knew because he had been watching this train for weeks, and today of all days for it to be off schedule…

Their latest Metal Gear hunt had brought Snake and Otacon to coal country, Pennsylvania. It was a pristine valley whose inhabitants seemed confused about how they wanted to live their lives. The suburbs were mostly untamed wilderness dotted with quaint little homes, but the center city was a concrete beast with not a blade of grass in sight. During the twenties and thirties, this had been a busy place because of the rich anthracite coal veins running beneath the city and impressive lengths of railroad spidered out in all directions from its heart. Now most of those railways were overgrown with grass, dilapidated and unusable, but occasionally trains did pass through here carrying motley cargo.

Just on the edge of center city sat a hulking concrete structure that looked like it had been torn from the pages of a history book. Chamberlain was a sprawling factory spanning the length of about two city blocks that had been built on hilly ground. On one end its buildings were level with the earth, but on the other side the factory was held up by some fifty feet of four-foot thick German concrete. To the public, it was just a factory for manufacturing shells that had been erected during World War II.

"It would be hard to keep all those workers in business making shells during peace time," Otacon spoke into Snake's ear. "They don't have the means to assemble bombs there, much less the means to assemble Metal Gears, but this site is a great supplier for Metal Gear armor. The concrete foundation of the factory is one huge foundry, and Philanthropy received an anonymous tip that they have been working on a custom armor order for a private investor."

"So we're assuming that they would have to transport Metal Gear here in order to assemble the armor?" Snake questioned, tilting his head back as he exhaled his smoke.

"Judging by the specs on the blueprints I dug up, they would have to. The investor doesn't have any facilities available for that kind of labor, and Chamberlain's facilities are more than adequate." On the other end of the CODEC, Otacon digitally leafed through his files, bringing up shop drawings, schematics, and equations that would make any math nerd squirm in his seat. "They're bringing in pieces of a Metal Gear model dubbed 'SAUR', Specialized Aeronautic and Underwater Robot. The concept is… actually quite impressive…"

"Otacon," Snake snarled, "I don't care how well it's designed; all I need to know is how to disable it."

"R-Right," Otacon stammered. Snake heard him sifting through papers. "They're transporting the skeleton in pieces on that train. Each piece is in a separate car, and for security reasons the pieces aren't being stored in adjacent cars. Once the train gets to Chamberlain, they plan on taking out the pieces one by one and bringing them down to the foundry where the armor is going to be welded directly to the skeleton and then the pieces assembled. You'll have better luck sabotaging SAUR if you attack it while its in transport to the factory."

The train whistle sounded again, much closer this time. Snake stubbed out his cigarette. "What did they plan on do after assembling the monster, just walking it out of the factory?"

"There's an international airport twenty-five minutes from center city. Just hop on the interstate and you're there pretty quick. Although I don't know how they planned on transporting a fully assembled bipedal tank of that size… But that doesn't matter. It isn't even going to make it to the factory."

Snake slowly stood, struggling to keep his balance as his wooden perch teetered back and forth. He was standing on a catwalk above the tracks, a structure that had been erected to hold the signals for the trains, but since the signals here were obsolete these walkways weren't being maintained. This was the best place for him to infiltrate the locomotive, though, and so he sidled up against the rusty train signal, standing stalk still in an effort to blend in. "Once I get on that train, how long until it reaches Chamberlain?"

"You'll have thirteen minutes before it gets within the city, twenty before it stops at the factory."

"Twenty minutes? That's nineteen more than I need." Snake smugly grinned.

"It'll take more than a minute to infiltrate each car and plant the C4. You'll need to hurry, though. Get off the train as soon as possible and detonate the explosives before the train gets within the boundaries of the city. If the explosives go off within the city, we'll risk killing people and causing structural damage."

"If all else fails, I can always detonate them at the factory. Stop the problem at its root, right?"

"I don't recommend it," Otacon sighed worriedly. "Try to get it done as soon as possible, okay Snake?"

"Got it."

Snake heard that whistle again and he felt the rumble of the approaching train. "There's my ride," he sardonically grumbled. He saw it in the distance, the growling locomotive, scarred and rusted from years of labor in all sorts of weather. Snake watched its speedy approach, seeming faster and faster the closer it came, and soon it was beneath him, its rusted cars stretched out beyond as far as he could see.

Snake gritted his teeth, steeling his nerves before he ducked out from his hiding place and leapt. He landed gracelessly atop the train, tumbling across its roof for several feet before he found his footing. He stood shakily, arms out to either side as he struggled to get used to the rocky motion of the locomotive, and he looked back behind him. He didn't realize that there would be upward of fifty cars on this train.

"Well, this might take a while," Snake grunted.

---

Settled in behind the tinted glass of his Durango, Otacon kept his eyes on the clock. Ten minutes from now, the train Snake was on would pass by this point. He would bail from the locomotive, detonate the C4, and the duo would head back to their apartment to hide out for a bit until things cooled down.

"And then what?" Otacon sighed, leaning his head back against the seat. Months had passed since the incident in their old apartment, since the night Snake came home in a drunken rage. Otacon's wounds and bruises had long since healed, but the rift between them had been much harder to repair. They had slept in their own separate rooms ever since. Just recently, they had begun spending as much time together as they used to, but Otacon still ached for his lover's touch. It had taken a short while to forgive and it would take an eternity to forget, but forever didn't seem so bad so long as he had his partner to share it with.

Otacon lifted his head again and leveled his gaze at his laptop. Seven minutes. The closest the two ever got lately was sitting at the kitchen table together, or sharing the couch during a movie. Six minutes, forty-seven seconds. He didn't fear his old lover any longer; the anxiety had died over time. Snake had breached the physical gap a few times by offering a comforting touch, or an encouraging slap on the shoulder, but that wasn't enough to sate Otacon's appetite for closeness. A train whistle wailed in the distance. What Otacon missed most was his smell, that manly musk that he could sense only when he was within inches of his lover's body. Six minutes, thirty-one seconds. He missed the feel of rough stubble against his neck, of calloused hands sliding over his thin torso, of someone else's body pressed insistently between his legs. The car shook slightly beneath him. He felt himself getting stiff just thinking about it. Otacon bit his lip, shifting slightly in his seat, hoping that their romantic hiatus would be over soon. Six minutes, twenty seconds.

"Otacon!"

The rough voice startled him upright. "What is it, Snake?" Otacon sensed the anxiety in his voice.

"Something's not right," Snake growled.

Otacon looked up as he felt the Durango trembling insistently on its struts. A screaming train whistle pieced his ears. The yellow and orange-striped engine rounded the corner at a startling speed, barreling toward him like a herd of angry bulls, and rushed past the car much faster than it should have been going. Otacon looked at the clock. Snake had only been on the train for eight minutes; it should not be past this point by now. "Snake!"

"It's been hijacked!" Snake yelled over the noises of the speeding train. "Whoever's driving it now is speeding out of control."

"You have to get off, Snake! It might derail at these speeds!" Otacon gripped the microphone on his headset, watching each car that passed with wide eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friend. "Do you read me, Snake? Abort the mission!"

"We can't afford that!" Snake growled into the CODEC. Inside the locomotive, he planted another brick of C4 beneath a black tarp in the center of the car. "Our priority is to sabotage this Metal Gear. I only have one more piece to find!"

"Snake, hurry!" Otacon pleaded with him.

Snake bolted for the next car, sure that he would find the main body components for Metal Gear SAUR inside. He felt the cars lurching beneath him, heard the wheels squealing in protest, and he knew that he was running out of time. He was well beyond the rendezvous point by now. He grabbed the door handle on the next car and yanked it open, but as he rushed in he was surprised to come face-to-face with a black-hooded gun-wielding enemy agent.

The agent was just as startled as Snake was and, panicking, he opened fire. Snake lunged immediately, taking a bullet to the shoulder as he moved in to disarm the agent. He deftly moved into the enemy's arms, taking hold of his weapon before using his entire body to knock the soldier back. After putting a bullet between the agent's eyes, Snake lifted the gun to ward off any other waiting soldiers. He realized with some dismay, though, that this agent had been guarding a car full of canned foods. That wasn't quite what he had been looking for.

"Snake, come on!" Otacon just about wailed into his ear. Snake ducked out between the two cars again and looked to either side, quickly assessing his escape situation. On one side of the train was an old stone wall, too close to the train for Snake hide against, and on the other side was an iron fence. Beyond that, there was a nasty drop straight to the ground. _Looks like I have only one option_, Snake said to himself, swallowing hard as he crouched down.

He looked down between his feet to where the wooden railroad struts rushed past in a blur. He watched them for an instant, subconsciously judging their speed, his body preparing for the shock as he shifted his weight onto his hands. As he eased his legs down between the two cars he hesitated for a second, wishing that there was some other way. The sound of screaming metal sounded far ahead of him and Snake pushed himself off of the train. He was sucked quickly beneath it.

The world went from bright and breezy to dark and noisy in an instant as Snake was pulled violently down beneath the train. He hit the ground hard and tumbled for a few feet, doing his best to avoid the churning wheels sparking around him. Far ahead, the sound of squealing metal rang in his ears. The front cars of the train had derailed and the rest of the train was quickly following suit. Snake landed on his back, feeling his spine crunch as he struck at a painful angle, and he lifted his eyes to watch the train cars ahead of him. For several tense seconds he watched the cars continue to speed on ahead, but abruptly they began to tumble off the track. He watched chain reaction unfold, seeing car after car careen into each other nonstop. The ripple effect reached him quickly and he shut his eyes tightly, bracing for impact as the car directly over him reared up onto its hind wheels and rolled atop the cars ahead of it. As it passed over him, he pressed himself into the earth, feeling a sharp breeze as it just missed shearing off the front of his body. For an instant, its shadow loomed over him as it became airborne, but then sunlight washed over his body.

That was the last car. Miraculously, Snake was in one piece.

A rumbling explosion sounded as the C4 exploded in the cars far ahead. Metal bent and snapped, windows shattered, and the screams of terrified bystanders echoed shortly after. Snake closed his eyes tightly, groaning as he realized what a disaster this had become. He tried to roll over, to get onto his feet, but he found that moving had become extremely painful for him.

Hopefully Otacon would come for him soon.

---

"There are three hospitals in the immediate area!"

"I'm not going!!"

"I can drive you to the next city even, there are—"

"I said I'm not going!"

The apartment door swung open and Snake just about tumbled in. He hung in the doorway by one arm, his other around Otacon's shoulders, although loosely. He wouldn't dare put any weight on the smaller man. He limped in first, followed closely by his partner who closed the door gently behind him. "Snake, I know that you hate doctors and all—"

"It's not that," the agent hissed, struggling to unbuckle his harnesses. "Going to a hospital around here could put us in danger of being caught. How would we explain a gunshot wound to the staff? Besides, I've dealt with wounds worse than this before, and in far worse conditions."

Stubbornly, Snake continued to struggle with his buckles and zippers using only his left arm. Otacon stepped forward slightly, his hands raised in a silent offering of assistance, but Snake stepped back instinctively. The tone of his growls let Otacon know that he wanted to do this himself. He moved toward his bedroom, shedding his gloves, his bandanna, his harness, belt, and holsters, tossing them hurriedly into his room before heading into the bathroom. Snake was furiously angry with himself for how badly the mission went. He slammed the bathroom door, causing it to bounce off of the doorframe and remain slightly ajar. He chose to ignore that detail as he turned on the bath water, running it hot as he struggled to peel off his confining sneaking suit.

Otacon sighed, watching the taller man's angry display with a twinge of pity. The disaster wasn't their fault; the train had been hijacked by another organization. Someone else had screwed this up. Snake took pride in the quality of his work, though; he was truly professional about all of his high-stakes missions. This would be a glaring mark on his personal record.

The hacker picked up his briefcases and toted them into his room, laying them on the bed with care, tossing his jacket atop them. He began putting his equipment away, setting his laptop up to charge, stowing his cables in their drawers, his ears always paying attention to the sounds of the man in the other room. He heard him turn off the water and sink into the bathtub, and for a while there was silence. Otacon finished stowing his equipment and stepped out of his bedroom, moving toward the kitchen, but as he passed by the bathroom door he heard Snake's exasperated breathing.

Otacon paused soundlessly and peered into the bathroom. Snake sat nude in the full tub, the water already pink with blood, struggling to wash his hair with only one hand. He wasn't very deft with his left hand, however; he was getting suds on the wall, on the floor beside the tub, even into his eyes. Every jerky movement would jostle the clot in his wound, causing more blood to spill out. He was getting very agitated very quickly; all he wanted to do was get clean and relax…

The door creaked open slowly and Otacon stood in its place, his face flush with embarrassment but his eyes strong. He felt that this was forbidden territory now, that he wasn't allowed to see Snake in a state of such anger, of such undress, but he swallowed hard and pushed his apprehension aside. He approached Snake slowly, glancing at the sink for a moment to see that he had successfully removed the bullet, although he left a bloody mess behind.

Snake's face reddened as he growled, "Otacon—"

"Dave." Otacon's voice was even and controlled, and he addressed Snake by his real name, effectively silencing him. "Just relax. If you won't let me take you to a hospital, then at least try not to bleed to death."

After an insubordinate pause Snake did as he was told, falling silent and observing as Otacon moved around him. The smaller man knelt down next to the tub, rolling up his sleeve and reaching into the water to pull the drain plug in order to clear some of the blood from the bath. As the water level steadily dropped he ran the faucet again, letting it fill as he poured some shampoo into a cupped hand. "Sit still," he quietly ordered as he moved closer to Snake's head, "I can wash for you. It's important for you to not exert yourself."

Snake stayed silent, averting his gaze as Otacon reached up to his head and began gently massaging, working his hair into a frothy lather. His anger and resentment at his own helplessness began to fade as Otacon's touch roused his senses. He tilted his head forward slightly, closing his eyes as Otacon's fingers abraded his scalp. His lips parted. The touch felt amazing, especially after so many months of little to no bodily contact, of staying as far away from each other as possible. How long had it been?... Numbers didn't matter now. Snake melted at Otacon's firm touch, quickly becoming putty in his hands, malleable and placated by his partner's firm but gentle treatment.

The teasing fingers left Snake's head, prompting a small noise of displeasure to rumble in his throat. Before he could open his eyes warm water spilled over his hair, cascading down his head in all directions as Otacon rinsed his hair clean. Snake's senses were still on high alert and although the water was warm, he shivered. Otacon failed to notice.

Once he had finished rinsing Snake's hair, he silently continued to wash his body. Although the smaller man was doing his best to be firm and methodical, to avoid exciting his injured partner, Snake's leg would be thumping playfully if they had been on friendlier terms. Otacon exhibited the utmost gentleness when washing Snake's shoulder wound, rinsing it with care so that Snake hardly felt the stinging. Snake lifted his arms for Hal to wash beneath, leaned forward to let him scrub all the places on his back he could never reach himself, even tilted his head so Otacon could get behind his ears. When he was satisfied that his partner was clean, Otacon turned off the water and stood, getting Snake a towel and offering it to him while keeping his eyes respectfully averted. He pretended not to notice that his friend was prominently erect.

"Once you're dry I can bandage up your wound. I just hope we have enough gauze. Then you can go and rest. I can take care of—"

"Hal." Snake's voice silenced the smaller man who looked up to him with surprise. Snake stood holding the towel in front of his groin to at least decently cover himself, but he was still dripping wet. A gentle smile played over his face. The look in his eyes was foreign to Otacon. It was a soft-eyed, tender gaze that seldom – if ever – graced his visage. Was that a smile that tugged at his lips? The rising emotion in Otacon's stomach caused him to avert his gaze before it overwhelmed him. His eyes roved the nude form in front of him, but they stopped as he noticed the blood running down Snake's arm. Snake followed his gaze and groaned as he lifted his arm, examining the wound.

"Don't worry," Otacon whispered, "I can take care of it."

While Snake toweled off a bit, Otacon went to the cabinet and with shaking hands fished out gauze pads and bandages. Snake loosely wrapped the towel around his hips and sat on the edge of the sink, gratefully allowing Otacon to play doctor although he was fully capable of doing this himself. Otacon applied antiseptic and the bandage and then began tightly wrapping Snake's shoulder. As he moved so closely around his partner, he could feel Snake's hot breath in his ear, could detect that distinct scent that drove him wild. Otacon's senses began to sharpen and he found himself acutely tuned to Snake's subtle movements. Every breath that made his sculpted chest rise and fall, every swallow that made his Adam's apple bob in his throat caused Otacon to lose control of his hands by degrees. His entire arms were trembling as he taped the bandaging closed, swallowing hard.

"Th-There… That should stop the bleeding."

Although he was finished, Otacon did not back away. The two men were standing with mere inches between their bodies. Otacon's skin tingled as though electricity was jumping from Snake's body onto his. He felt slightly dizzy all of a sudden and he leaned in a bit, resting his hands on the cool porcelain sink on either side of Snake's hips. He lifted his head and their eyes met, and just now did he realize how long it had been. He had forgotten Snake's eyes, the breathtaking blue pools that he now felt himself drowning in. He could see forever in those eyes, and his mouth watered to taste that eternity.

His lips parted.

So did Snake's, expectantly.

But neither of them bridged the gap. Their bodies did not touch at all, their arms did not brush in passing, but both men could feel the other's hot breath on his mouth. They stayed like that for a solid minute, their eyes fluttering closed as warm condensation formed on their lips. The electricity between them was strong, almost tangible, and it was gradually drawing them together.

The tips of their noses met between them, and as they did the shock startled Otacon upright. His face flushed bright pink and his eyes widened in an expression of embarrassment. He shied away from Snake, not out of fear but out of self-consciousness. He slowly backed toward the door and slipped out of it, keeping his eyes on the half-nude soldier. Otacon waited until he was out of sight before running into his room to busy himself with his work.

Snake leaned back slightly, resting his head back against the mirror with a smile. He knew that Otacon was no longer scared, that their alienation would soon be over. His lover had acted this way when their relationship first began all those months ago. This was a good sign. Their relationship was beginning anew.

After all, they had just shared their first kiss.


End file.
